Macs within the enterprise by the numbers
In america, surveys point out that macOS at the moment has a 23% market share in enterprise environments. That statistic comes from 2021, and represents a big improve over the earlier determine of 17% macOS market share in 2019.
There at the moment are large Mac deployments at a number of the largest and most tech-focused firms. IBM, for instance, has a fleet of over 200,000 macOS units.
Why are Macs changing into in style within the enterprise?
The expansion of Mac within the enterprise is spectacular. However what’s driving this variation?
For one factor, Apple Macs are more and more “made for enterprise.” Apple’s technique of driving enterprise adoption could be seen within the enterprise-focused content material of their help database updates—discovered beneath the “What’s new for enterprise in macOS” pages for Large Sur, Monterey, and Ventura. Apple has additionally moved its official system administration system, Apple System Supervisor, from beta to manufacturing.
The online impact has been to make Macs way more enterprise-friendly—and thus extra interesting to technical resolution makers and IT departments in giant firms. As Israel Torres, Principal Malware Analysis Engineer at SecureMac, places it:
With every macOS replace, we see extra flexibility within the fashionable MDM options that Macs can help natively—for instance, remotely locking and erasing content material. Earlier than, you’d have wanted specialised third-party software program to do that. This, together with Apple’s growth of Apple Silicon and the coalescing of macOS with iOS, implies that it’s simpler than ever to undertake what have been as soon as thought of faddish toys into critical enterprise-featured units.
As well as, the world itself is altering. Every new technology that enters the workforce has an influence on enterprise tradition. The present technology is fiercely loyal to Apple merchandise. Youthful staff have grown up utilizing iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. As Torres notes, that is having an impact on system selection on the workplace:
Youthful generations have been progressively uncovered to new developments in Apple expertise, and these generations at the moment are pushing for Apple merchandise of their grownup {and professional} world.
The safety influence of rising macOS market share
For years, the macOS safety neighborhood has been warning concerning the rise of Mac malware. This has all the time been pushed by the rising prevalence of Macs—particularly within the enterprise, the place there are extra high-value targets for dangerous actors to assault. As Macs grow to be extra frequent in huge companies, we within the Mac safety neighborhood anticipate this pattern to proceed.
Enterprises, after all, can afford to develop subtle safety options—and have giant groups of cybersecurity professionals to assist them defend their belongings. SMBs and residential customers don’t have entry to the sources of a big company, however nonetheless face the identical worsening macOS menace panorama as huge companies. Due to this, there are a number of important precautions that each one SMBs and residential Mac customers ought to now be taking:
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Preserve updated on updates
Mac 0-days are a real menace, however unpatched recognized vulnerabilities are by far the commonest avenue of assault on macOS. Don’t grow to be low-hanging fruit for dangerous guys. At all times arrange your Mac for automated updates. For those who’re in control of securing Macs for a small enterprise or for work-from-home workers, insist on automated updates as a matter of coverage.
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Run an excellent, Mac-focused AV
Use a strong third-party macOS malware detection software to complement XProtect and MRT. Apple’s native protections are first rate, however additional safety is all the time really useful, particularly now. By selecting Mac-focused software program—as an alternative of a Microsoft-centric firm’s spinoff of their Home windows resolution—you’re extra prone to have a clean consumer expertise on macOS.
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Educate your self
macOS malware typically infects a Mac after dangerous guys have tricked a consumer into bypassing safety protocols or granting administrative permissions. As such, probably the greatest methods to guard your self from Mac malware is to study macOS cybersecurity, and educate your self concerning the newest macOS menace actor ways. Our weekly podcast, The Guidelines, presents an accessible introduction to Apple safety aimed toward on a regular basis customers.
